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On tap @ Iron Hill Lancaster during their Great Pumpkin Harvest Party on 10/20/11. Served in a footed Pils glass. This is their Pig Iron Porter that has been aged in a bourbon barrel with the addition of pumpkin spices.

Pours a deep murky brown, with some thin mocha colored edging around the sides of the glass. This basically stays this way during the duration of the glass, leaving back just a light smattering of spotty lace. Bourbon, spice, and vanilla are HUGE up front in the aroma and just make this, with a rich flavorful stickiness that immediately gets this beer in my good graces. Additional notes of chocolate and roast mingle in from underneath but it’s mostly the barrel character here that rocks this.

The taste is mellow bourbon up front that floods out and mixes with some light cocoa and green hops to give this a kind of flat base flavor the whole way though. Roast and the pumpkin spices really come out towards the backend of this but it’s the barrel that finishes this strong with a dry, woody, and burnt feel that lingers on the tongue. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and prickly feeling up front in the mouth but then more of a bubbly creaminess kicks in and fills out the sides of the mouth. Any alcohol here seems to be coming from the bourbon but even that isn’t a whole lot, as this mostly has the flavoring from the barrel but none of the heat.

Just based on the nose on this, this was one of my favorites from the party but the rest turned out pretty darn good as well. Although the bourbon flavoring itself (which mostly dominates the taste) got to be a bit wearing on the palate after a while, I did appreciate how they kept any of the warmth from it out the equation and this actually drank pretty darn well for what it is. Quite the interesting beer.

Served on-tap at Iron Hill Lancaster during their Great Pumpkin Harvest Party. Poured into a 12 ounce glass.

A: Dark murky medium to dark brown body with absolutely no head on it. Even with some vigorous swirls I couldn't get any head to form. Naturally, no lace or retention either. For being bourbon barrel aged I can't fault it too much as the barrel tends to kill some visuals, but it's still not very attractive.

S: Huge bourbon notes, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and allspice. Towards the back end of the aroma the sweet pumpkin flesh with it's natural veggie aroma come in. It's very well rounded and surprisingly not overpowered by the bourbon notes, something which can happen if not done properly.

T: Warming bourbon and wood is up-front. It's balanced and not overly hot or aggressive. After your palate adjusts to the bourbon notes, a great pumpkin porter base comes in. Hints of cinnamon and nutmeg are most dominate, with a sweet pumpkin pie filling towards the finish. Warm and sweet sticky bourbon and cinnamon are left behind. Absolutely wonderful beer in terms of flavor.

M: Very low on the carbonation, smooth and slightly prickly on the back end of the palate. It does feel somewhat watery and thin on the mouth, dropping the overall feel down a bit.

Very impressed with my first bourbon barrel "pumpkin" style beer from Iron Hill. It had great bourbon flavors without overtaking the beer's profile. A well done and flavorful beer, nice job.

On tap at the Lancaster location served in a pint glass. This brew appears a clouded color of dark brown. A creamy white cap appears with about a finger's strength and recedes quite fast leaving spotty lacework sticking to the glass. There are lighter brown indications around the edges hen held to the light.

The smell of this brew is sweet and tangy with a bourbon inclusion and bold barrel aged qualities. Vanilla is prominent with quite a depth of character here. Pumpkin pie spices come forward with a character that collectively reminds me of incense. More smells reveal toasty oak, vanilla, mild cinnamon and some chocolate.

The taste is tangy with alcohol. Bourbon comes to mind with plenty of vanilla flavoring, oak and pumpkin spices primarily cinnamon and earthy nutmeg through the whole profile. A mild amount of chocolate malt is noted whih blends into the aftertase with more bourbon flavoring and light notes of cocoa.

This is a medium to light bodied brew with a modest level of carbonation. It is very easy drinking and enjoyable. Really packed full of flavor. My only gripe is the bit of tangy aspect it had clashed a bit for me. However, the bourbon and barrel aged character it displayed in both flavor and aroma was stellar. It was like they boiled off top shelf bourbon and included all of its flavor and aroma but without including any of the associated alcohol heat.